Human activities, without doubt, are the cause of global warming; and we are responsible for stopping global warming, especially because it is a possible thing to do. Stopping global warming is not only a possible thing to do, but it is a mandatory thing that every single individual in the world should participate in. We are facing a global problem, which means that there are a lot of us who need to be educated on the issue of global warming in order to make the changes necessary in order to reverse the problem at hand. What exactly do we mean when we state that human activities are the cause of global warming? How is it that our activities have such a big impact on the recent, not to mention terrifying, climate change? All of these questions, and many more, will be explained to you. What if the children that are born today suffer tomorrow because of our actions? Our kids would wish we had made better decisions in order to create a better future for them. Our actions today have an effect on the future of our children tomorrow, and we are the only ones who have the power to make a change. We have a serious problem on our hands; it is called Global Warming. Global warming is hitting the world by storm, literally. Once its effects are felt, there is no way to stop them; the only thing we can do is stop the future effects of global warming from occurring. Every single human being on the face of this earth is in some way responsible for some fraction of the causes of global warming. The same way, every single human being should do something immediately to help stop this disaster which has already gone out of control.
To understand our climate crisis, it is important to know what greenhouse gases are and how they naturally function in our atmosphere. Greenhouse gases consist of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's), methane, nitrous oxide, and the most important of them all, carbon dioxide (CO2). Greenhouse gases permit light that is emitted from the sun to enter the atmosphere; however they also lock in some infrared radiation which warms up the air in the atmosphere. These are all natural gasses, and this is a natural process which is called the greenhouse effect. The natural amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere work to help the Earth's surface maintain an average temperature of about 59 degrees Fahrenheit. This natural amount of heat that is trapped in our atmosphere allows us to breathe clean air, have clean water, and have normal weather. We will focus mainly on CO2 emissions since they account for about 80% of all greenhouse emissions. Out of all of the greenhouse gasses, humans create more CO2. Our climate crisis stems from excess CO2, which is the byproduct of human activity being released into our atmosphere. Excess emissions of CO2, as well as other greenhouse gasses, act as a blanket and trap heat in out atmosphere, thus creating global warming which is the reason for our unimaginable climate change. According to The Stop Global Warming campaign, "More carbon dioxide is now in the atmosphere than has been in the past 650,000 years." ("Stop Global Warming Virtual March.")
Global warming has altered the state of our climate in unimaginable ways, thus causing glaciers to melt, temperatures all over the world to raise, weather to become catastrophic, endangering species, and causing sea levels all over the world to rise. Since 1912 the ice cap of Mount Kilimanjaro has decreased by 75%. If they continue to melt at the present rate, all of the glaciers in Glacier National Park could be gone by the year 2070. In 1972 the mountain tops in Venezuela contained six glaciers; all but two of the glaciers have melted. Temperatures over the recent years have risen to dramatic highs in places that never experienced such temperatures for such long periods of time. In the summer of 1998, a massive 29 day heat wave struck Dallas Texas with temperatures of 100 degrees F. That same year in May, India suffered a massive heat wave which claimed over 2,500 lives. In the spring, the beautiful cherry blossoms planted along the streets of Washington DC bloom about 7 days before their blooming period compared to when they bloomed in 1970. The weather all over the world has intensified and changed for the worse. In March of 1997, floods swept along the Ohio River killing 30 people and causing property damage totaling over $500 million. Hurricane Floyd hit the Atlantic coast in September of 1999 with winds up to 130-m.p.h. causing floods which left thousands of people homeless, and killed 77 people. Fires raged all over the world due to extended droughts and heat waves. Fires tore through Samos Island in Greece and burned away about 20% of the area. Rising sea levels- another very serious effect of global warming, are threatening millions of people all over the world to move. If the ice continues to melt, and the oceans continue to rise, over 40 million people in Shanghai, and over 20 million people in and around Beijing would have to be evacuated.
In 1870 the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built 1,500 feet from the shoreline. There was no choice left but to move the light house when the ocean came to about 160 feet of it around the late 1980's. Global Warming is also threatening species to extinction and hurting nature to the point where it is just sad. Between the years 1997 and 1998, salmon populations from the Pacific dramatically fell down in number as a result of rising ocean temperatures by 6 degrees Fahrenheit. Ice melting every year in the spring is said to have had an impact on the number of polar bear cubs being born in Hudson Bay. Never in the past has it been an issue that a large number of polar bears are drowning. These innocent creatures are forced to swim for miles in search of land; their land which has melted away, never to be seen again. Polar bears are now facing extinction because so many of them have died already, and more will continue to die off rapidly if the ice doesn't stop melting. A great number of other creatures are also facing extinction due to climate change, and also due to direct human interaction with the places these creatures live; but that is a whole different story. Beautiful Coral reefs that decorate our oceans are losing algae and are thus being destroyed because of an increase in ocean temperatures. Algae feed the beautiful corals and help them retain their amazing colors and forms. Unfortunately, due to the rise in ocean temperatures, these beautiful coral formations are being destroyed. Animals are relocating and migrating, confused because of the change of climate, not knowing what to call home. ("The Effects of Global Warming.")
